Fight the Meme

I’m not sure of the precise moment Peter Beinart became a shill for Paul Krugman. Then again, I can’t remember a time he wasn’t. Read this bit from his Daily Beast column today, in which he manages to stroke his chin and wring his hands and give Krugman the old reach around all at once:

Last night’s biggest loser was not the Democratic Party. Democrats will rebound. In fact, the GOP’s victories probably improve Barack Obama’s chances of reelection since he can now position himself as a check on Republican radicalism, as Bill Clinton did in 1996. The real loser is Keynesianism: The idea that when businesses and individuals stop spending, government must. That idea will not rebound; it’s over for this period in economic history. First Britain, and now the United States, are responding to the worst economic contraction in 75 years by contracting government, despite the fact that the world’s best economists are screaming that it’s exactly the wrong thing to do. As Virginia Thomas might say, “Have a good day!”

Evil Rethuglican Teabaggers are ignoring the advice of “the world’s best economists” because they want to keep the economy in the tank so that giant corporations can make evil profits selling grandma’s bones to the Chinese! Or something.

But Beinart ignores two tiny things.

1. “The world’s best economists” don’t all agree on stimulus. Unless, of course, we change that to The World’s Best Economists™, where the TM belongs to Paul Krugman.

2. Germany. Anyone remember Germany? No stimulus, and Germany is a jobs-creation machine, with the lowest unemployment rate they’ve enjoyed in 18 years.

And let’s throw in a third item, just in case Beinart conveniently forgot this one — where is the money going to come from? The UK is cutting because they’re out of money. So are we. We’re tapped out. Broke. Stony. Busted. The credit card is maxed.

And don’t you forget that, as we prepare to enter a very tough fight against entrenched DC interests. Washington insiders will continue to suck us dry, if we let them. And Beinart will continue cheer them on, with that smug, casual viciousness so common to beltway Journ-O-Lists.